Part of Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 9:45 am on 9 March 2010.
Peter Bottomley
Conservative, Worthing West
9:45,
9 March 2010
May I suggest to the hon. Member for Northampton, North, who is promoting the Bill, that she might want to consider adding 2004 to the Bill at a later stage? The year appears once, by chance, in Clause 7. The issue raised by my hon. Friend the Member for South-West Hertfordshire might not be immediately obvious to many people but, given that those involved in providing future loans might have their attention drawn to the Bill, if and when it is enacted, we ought to make it clear that there is a time limit to which it can go back. That would be a little mark of safety, and it would be helpful if it is possible to do that with a bit of imagination later in the parliamentary procedure.
Secondly, subsection (11) states:
“If the terms of the Initiative are amended after commencement in such a way as to change a relevant eligibility condition, this Act has effect as if they had not been so amended”.
The impact of that on everyone is not immediately clear. Explanation or modification later on might be useful.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
